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How to Homeschool
Getting Started -
Constitution and Statutes
A good place to start is with the law. Review the
Florida Constitution and the Statutes relating to
compulsory attendance and
non-public school options.
In fact,
Title XLVIII of the Statutes is a good one to bookmark, as all education related
items can be found here.
The
Florida Online Sunshine site allows you access to all of the above and provides a way to
search for new bills and obtain other information. There
are even Kids Pages, which is a great way to involve your child.
Home Education Options
Families wishing to educate their children at home have three choices. They may:
-
Establish and maintain a
Home Education Program;
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Enroll in a non-campus based
Private School (sometimes referred to as a "cover" or "umbrella" or "600" school);
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Hire a
Private Tutor.
What's the Difference?
In all three cases you can educate your children at home, using the materials and methods
you select. The key difference between enrolling in a private school and registering as a home
educator is this:
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Private school students
are overseen by administrators
you select. Identifying data about the student and samples of the student's work are
never shared with anyone outside of the private school (other than at your request). |
|
Home education students
are overseen by government
employees at the school district. Parents must file annual evaluations with the
district and are be required to show their record-keeping and samples of the student's work upon
demand by the Superintendent. |
This chart shows some of the legal differences between homeschooling with a private school and
homeschooling by registering with the school district.
| Feature |
Private School |
Home Education Statutes |
|
Register with Superintendent |
No |
Yes |
|
Maintain Portfolio |
No |
Yes |
|
File Annual Evaluation with School District |
No |
Yes |
|
Possible "audit" of records by School District |
No |
Yes |
|
Adhere to Florida State Attendance Requirements |
Yes |
No |
|
Eligible for Bright Futures Scholarship |
Yes (easier to qualify) |
Yes (harder to qualify) |
|
Participate in Inter-Scholastic Extracurricular Student Activities |
No |
Yes |
|
Receive transcript, diploma, etc. |
Yes |
No |
|
Take Classes at Florida Virtual School |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Participate in dual enrollment programs |
Yes |
Yes |
When looking at this chart, bear in mind that it reflects legal requirements and differences
ONLY. Private schools may set their own requirements regarding curriculum, samples of work, testing,
and so on. If this is an option you wish to pursue, you will want to talk to several schools so
that you can find one that matches your educational philosophy, need (or lack thereof) for support
and budget.
Establishing a Home Education Program
Note: The information that follows specifically refers to Florida's
home education statutes. Families who are homeschooling through a private
school are NOT required to follow the home education statutes; rather, they
follow the rules established by the school they are enrolled with.
For more information, visit Private
School FAQs.
What is Home Education?
According to the
statute, a home education program is defined as sequentially progressive
instruction of a student directed by his or her parent or guardian in order to satisfy the
requirements of ss.
1002.41;
1003.01(4), and
ss.
1003.21(1). Parents are responsible for directing their children's education, not
necessarily for providing every element. Many resources exist that can help you and are
discussed in the Local Resources section of this document.
Your
Requirements
If you decide to register your child as a home education student, you must:
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Send a written notice of intent to the Superintendent of your school district.
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Maintain a portfolio of records and preserve it for two years.
-
Make your portfolio available for inspection upon receipt of a 15-day written
notice from the Superintendent.
-
Submit an annual evaluation for each child you home school.
-
Terminate your program when appropriate.
Each requirement is described in greater detail in the following sections.
Notice
of Intent
The parent shall notify the district school superintendent of the county in
which the parent resides of her or his intent to establish and maintain a home education program.
The notice shall be in writing, signed by the parent, and shall include the names, addresses, and
birthdates of all children who shall be enrolled as students in the home education program. The
notice shall be filed in the district school superintendent's office within 30 days of the
establishment of the home education program.
Section 1002.41(1)(a)
What to File
Sample forms are provided for your convenience in the Forms section
of this document. Alternately, you may write a letter to the Superintendent informing him/her
of your decision to establish and maintain a home education program for your child(ren) and
providing the information specified above, namely: each child's name, date of birth and address.
You do NOT have to use a form provided by the School District nor provide any information
beyond what is required by law (cited above).
You may be surprised and/or pleased to realize that this means that information about
|
Grade Level |
|
Curricula or Materials to be Used |
|
Race or Ethnicity |
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Number of Days or Hours of Instruction |
|
Social Security Number |
is NOT required and should not be provided.
Who Needs to File as a
"Homeschooler"
You must file a notice for each child you will be homeschooling who will be six years old or older
on February 1 of the school year you are filing for. For instance, a child who is 5 on September 1
but won't turn 6 until sometime in March does not require a notice of intent to be
filed. In fact, some school districts will return your letter to you (or simply discard it). In
any case, you will need to file a notice of intent at the beginning of the school year during
which your child will turn 6 by February 1. You may include more than one child on the
notice. A Notice of Intent is filed just once (when you start your program), not annually.
The only exception is if you terminate your program and then resume.
When to File
The statute says that you must file within 30 days of starting your home education program.
However, due to other laws concerning truancy and unexcused school absences, it is recommended
that parents file this notice immediately upon withdrawing their child from school or
implementing their home education program. This will avoid any possible conflict between the
home education statutes and the truancy statutes.
Where to File
Send your Notice of Intent to the Superintendent of your school district. For a list of
Florida School districts and contact information, visit
http://www.firn.edu/doe/eias/flmove/supers.htm.
Tip: Either hand deliver your Notice of Intent or send it certified, return receipt.
This will provide you with proof of your timely filing should your notice be
lost.
Portfolio of Records
The parent shall maintain a portfolio of records and materials. The
portfolio shall consist of the following:
1. A log of educational activities that is made contemporaneously with the instruction and
that designates by title any reading materials used.
2. Samples of any writings, worksheets, workbooks, or creative materials used or developed by
the student.
Statute 1002.41(1)(b)
Log
Maintaining a log involves writing down your educational activities and keeping a list of any
reading materials used. What is an educational activity? That's up to you to decide but beyond
the obvious, there is no reason the definition can't include: family vacations, trips to the
library, caring for pets, going to the grocery store, watching an educational program on TV,
a field trip, building a sand castle, playing with Lego, baking cookies and much more.
You can make your log as elaborate or as simple as you like. Some families keep to the minimum,
jotting notes on a calendar. Others keep elaborate diaries of each child's activities and progress.
Still others just date and check off assignments completed from a master list or teaching plan.
Any of these methods is acceptable. The key issue to keep in mind is that your log has the
potential to become a public document (for instance, if the School Superintendent asks to review
it), so you may want to omit notes of a personal nature.
Samples
The second part of your portfolio includes samples of any writings, worksheets,
workbooks, or creative materials used or developed by the student The hardest part about
this portion of the portfolio is finding space to put it!
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Did your child work on an elaborate project (or two) this year? Did you take an
education vacation? Don't forget to fill your portfolio with photographs or child-created
drawings. A picture really is worth 1000 words.
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Bear in mind that you are keeping samples, not every rough draft ever created by your child.
The organization of your samples can be as simple (everything in a large box) or elaborate
(3-ring binders with dividers for each subject) as you want.
Samples are especially helpful if you choose to have a teacher evaluation at the end of the year.
Your evaluator will want to review these samples (as well as your log) to get an idea of what kind
of work your child has been doing.
Keep Your Portfolio
The portfolio shall be preserved by the parent or guardian for 2 years...
Statute 1002.41(1)(b)
The statute doesn't state whether this is 2 years from the beginning of a school year or from its
end. A conservative choice would be to keep your portfolio for 2 years from the end of the school
year it documents.
Portfolio Inspections (Fifteen Day Notice)
The portfolio shall be made available for inspection by the superintendent,
or the superintendent's agent, upon 15 days' written notice. Nothing in this section shall require
the superintendent to inspect the portfolio.
Statute 1002.41(1)(b)
The superintendent can choose to review your portfolio at any time, for any reason, including
for no reason at all. He/she is required to give you 15 days advance notice in writing of the
decision to perform such a review. Should you receive such a notice, don't panic. Keep in mind
the following:
The Superintendent does not have the authority to grade or evaluate your portfolio.
He/she can only verify that one exists, that is, that you have complied with the law by
maintaining a portfolio.
Further and perhaps even more important, the inspection is of the portfolio, not of you, your
child or your home. There is nothing in the home education statutes that gives the
superintendent (or anyone else) the authority to perform a "home visit," nor to interrogate or
test children. It is recommended that you arrange to have your portfolio brought to the
Superintendent's office and that you leave your child(ren) at home. In fact, the parent does not
have to attend and can send a representative.
At the review, don't offer information or respond to questions about your child's abilities,
accomplishments, grade level or similar. These are all outside the bounds of a portfolio review.
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If your child was documented as a truant while enrolled in public school, you
will be subject to monthly portfolio reviews until such time as the committee conducting the
review determines that you are in compliance with the statute. At that point, your program will
be treated like any other home education program. To learn more about special provisions for
children who have been declared truant, go to
Statute
1003.26(1)(f).
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Annual
Evaluation
The parent shall provide for an annual educational evaluation in which is
documented the student's demonstration of educational progress at a level commensurate with her
or his ability. The parent shall select the method of evaluation and shall file a copy of the
evaluation annually with the district school superintendent's office in the county in which the
student resides. The annual educational evaluation shall consist of one of the following:
Statute 1002.41(1)(c)
1) A teacher selected by the parent shall evaluate the student's educational progress upon review of
the portfolio and discussion with the student. Such teacher shall hold a valid regular
Florida certificate to teach academic subjects at the elementary or secondary level;
2)The student shall take any nationally normed student achievement test administered
by a certified teacher; Many support groups offer group testing. Alternately, your
evaluator may be able to administer the test to your child.
3)The student shall take a state student assessment test used by the school district
and administered by a certified teacher, at a location and under testing conditions
approved by the school district; This is the FCAT and it not recommended that
home education students participate in this testing. If you choose to participate, your test
scores will be sent directly to the Superintendent and he/she will then forward them to you. So
you'll be the last to see the results.
4)The student shall be evaluated by an individual holding a valid, active license
pursuant to the provisions of s. 490.003(7) or (8); This is an expensive choice but may
be worth pursuing if you have a special needs child.
5) The student shall be evaluated with any other valid measurement tool as mutually agreed upon
by the district school superintendent of the district in which the student resides and the
student's parent.
The chart below gives an overview of the options.
| Type
|
Description
|
Pros/Cons
|
Cost
|
Notes
|
| Teacher Evaluation
|
Parent or guardian selects a Florida state certified teacher to review the
portfolio, speak with the child (and parent) and, less frequently, administer a test to the
child. Any Florida certified teacher may evaluate your child, regardless which subjects
he/she is certified to teach.
|
Pros: Low stress for both parent and child. Parent receives information about
child's strengths and weaknesses as well as feedback on teaching plan.
Cons: Possible difficulty in locating a suitable evaluator.
|
Varies, typically
$75 for 1st child and a special rate for additional children in the same
family.
|
It is a good idea to talk with several evaluators before selecting one.
This way you can ensure that your evaluator and you are of like minds with regard to teaching
style, record keeping and so on. Best approach is to find an evaluator who is (or was) a
home educator.
|
| Nationally Normed Test
|
May be any nationally normed test (which means that your child's
results are compared against a national sample of other students), not necessarily one used by
the school district you reside in. Samples of valid tests include the ITBS, CTBS,
SAT, CAT, MAT and ERB. Must be administered by a certified teacher.
|
Pros: Gives parents a benchmark of child's test-taking skills.
Cons: Can be stressful for child. Places results for an entire year of study on a
few hours of testing. Children not familiar with test format or group setting
may not perform well.
|
Varies. Roughly
$75 - $125 per child in a group setting; $200+ in a
private setting.
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Do not submit the actual test results to the School District.
Instead, have the test administrator or your evaluator submit an evaluation. If you choose to
have your child tested at a pubic school facility, the results will be sent directly to the
Superintendent. Some support groups offer group testing.
|
| State Student Assessment Test
|
The FCAT is administered to all Florida public school children. Your
child may take this test at a location designated by the School District. Test scores are sent
to the Superintendent, who forwards a copy to you.
|
Cons: Results are sent directly to School District.
Your child will be taking the test in an unfamiliar environment.
Your child will probably not have been "taught to the test" nor will he or she have
received months of drill in taking this test.
|
Nominal or free
|
Not recommended.
|
| Psychological Evaluation
|
Student evaluation by a psychologist holding a valid active license
(as per statute 490.003).
|
Pros: Used in special circumstances (i.e., learning disability, giftedness, etc.)
Cons: Expensive
|
$250 and up
|
N/A
|
| Special Agreement
|
Any other method agreed to by the parent and Superintendent
|
Pros: Tailored to student.
Cons: May be difficult to convince Superintendent to accept alternative.
|
Depends on arrangements made.
|
Examples include: correspondence school records, special testing, etc.
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When to File
You must file an evaluation annually. It is due on the anniversary of the date of your Notice
of Intent. So if you filed your Notice of Intent on October 10, your evaluation is due by the
following October 10 (and on each anniversary thereafter). Some districts may send you a letter
or form indicating that you must submit your evaluation by a prescribed date, but this is not
supported by statute. Contact your local support group or the FPEA (1-877-ASK-FPEA)
What to File
Regardless which evaluation option you choose, it is recommended that you submit an
evaluation letter to the School District rather than actual test scores or evaluation details.
Your evaluator's letter should be brief and to the point. It should include the same
identifying information provided in your notice of intent, along with a
statement that your child is performing at a level commensurate with ability.
The letter must be signed by either a certified teacher or a licensed
psychologist. You do not need to submit a copy of the evaluator's certificate
or the psychologist's license. Sample forms are
provided for your convenience.
Terminating
Your Program
A written notice of termination of the home education program shall be filed
in the superintendent's office within 30 days of said termination.
Statute 1002.41(1)(a).
When to Terminate
You must terminate your program when one of the following occurs:
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You move to another county, state or country. If you move within the state, you must
terminate your program in the county you moved from and initiate a new program
in the county you move to.
-
You decide to enroll your child in public or private school, implement a private tutoring
program or otherwise stop home educating under the home education statutes.
You may also terminate your program when your child reaches age 16 and is no longer
subject to compulsory education laws, however, there are several factors to take into
consideration before you decide to do this. One is that if you wish to take advantage of dual
enrollment options, you will need to establish that your child is registered in
a home education program or private or public school. Another is that some health insurers allow
minor children to be covered only so long as they are full-time students.
What to File
Your Notice of Termination, like your other notices, should be brief, include the
student identification information specified previously, and be signed by a
parent or guardian. Your Notice of Termination does NOT need to include
information about why you are terminating your program nor if or where your child(ren)
will be attending school next.
To find groups in other parts of Florida, visit the
Florida Homeschooling: Support Group Directory.
The Florida Virtual School offers high school and middle
school students the opportunity to take high school courses online. Courses offered
by FLVS are open to students attending home, private and public schools. Courses are free and
they fill up fast. Phone number: 407-317-3326.
The Florida Homeschooling web site maintains an
online calendar that
individuals and groups from all over the state are welcome to post to. The activities posted
must be open to all and not intended as a sales event. Check it out!
Books to Get You Started
The Homeschooling Book of Answers, Linda Dobson
Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World, Jeffrey Freed
Teach Your Own: The John Holt Book of Homeschooling, John Holt
The Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas, Linda Dobson
The First Year of Homeschooling Your Child , Linda Dobson
The Homeschooling Revolution, Isabel Lyman
Learning All the Time, John Holt
Growing Without Schooling, John Holt
The Way They Learn, Cynthia Tobias
Raising Your Spirited Child, Mary Sheedy Kurcinka
Every Child Can Succeed, Cynthia Tobias
The Edison Trait: Saving the Spirit of Your Non-Conforming Child, Lucy Jo Palladino
The Unschooling Handbook, Mary Griffith
Homeschooling: The Early Years, Linda Dobson
Homeschoolers' Success Stories, Linda Dobson
Homeschooling and the Voyage of Self-Discovery, David Albert
Homeschooling Our Children, Unschooling Ourselves, Alison McKee
The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, Susan Wise Bauer,
Jessie Wise
Better Late Than Early: A New Approach to Your Child's Education, Raymond & Dorothy Moore
Home Grown Kids, Raymond & Dorothy Moore
Homeschooling: The Middle Years, Shari Henry
Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling, John Taylor Gatto
Homeschooling: The Teen Years , Cafi Cohen
Homeschooling Web Sites
Learning Styles Assessment
A to Z Home's Cool
Jon's Homeschool Resource Pages
Portfolios and Transcripts
Educationese Help translating activities into portfolio language
Young Minds Homeschool Forms and Scheduling Forms you can download.
Private Schools Serving Home Educators
Florida Homeschooling:
Private School Directory
Adam's Academy (for Special Needs Students)
Educational Web Sites
Chemkids.com Chemistry lessons and activities.
Science Made Simple Everything you wanted to know.
Biology Lessons K-8 resources. Some chemistry here, too.
How Stuff Works Explanations for just about everything under the sun.
Science Fair Central Science fair ideas.
Art Adventures From Sanford art supplies.
Handwriting Worksheets
Bible Study Worksheets
Teach-nology Awards, certificates, etc.
Core Knowledge Foundation Scope and sequesnce, lesson plans, articles, etc.
Florida 4H Clothing Website Free clothing construction curricula
Discovery School's Puzzle Maker Create your own puzzles
Easy Fun School Tons of hands-on activities, unit studies and more. Elementary ages.
Elementary Theme Pages Portal site for themes and units.
Help on English Effective essay writing.
Learning Vocabulary Can Be Fun Games and online activities for building vocabulary skils.Edhelper.com Worksheets in all subjects/grades. You can join the site to gain full access or use the sample worksheets for free.
Audioblox A system of cognitive exercises, aimed at the development of the skills foundational to reading, spelling, and writing. Effective for dyslexia, dysgraphia, spelling problems and other learning disabilities.
Fun Social Studies Geography, history and more.
Fun Brain Games and quizzes in all subject areas.
Guide to Grammar and Writing Portal of resources.
World Atlas of Maps Maps, maps, maps.
Grey Ollwit's Freeware Games, screensavers, educational programs.
History Channel Program listings and teaching plans.
Ignite the Fire Extensive collection of free resources.
Classical Virtual Academy Classical Christian Academy with many free classes.
K-12 Resources for Music Educators
Kids Freeware From preschool to programming.
Latin the Easy Way
Nova Online Programs and relatyed activities and lessons.
Novel Guide Literary analysis of many books.
PBS Teacher Source Programming and related activieis and lessons.
Book Adventure Reading incentive program.
Make your own tests and quizzes.
ABC Teach Lots of worksheets to download.
School Express Worksheets.
Secrets@Sea A mystery for you to solve.
Teach With Movies Movies by age and topic.
Thinking Things from Snaith Primary School History pages.
Vocabulary University Word games, puzzles, worksheets.
Discovery School Programming, activities and lessons.
Heritage of the Ancient Ones Florida's native people.
Reference Desk on the Web Find it here.
History for Kids Mostly for elementary ages.
Curriculum/Material Suppliers
Atrium School
Elijah Company
Critical Thinking Books and Software
Singapore Math (and science)
Bookman Bob
Edward Hamilton Booksellers
Learning Adventures
Loyola Press
Nothing New Press
Remedia Publications
Oxford University Press
Rockman's Rocks and Minerals
Runkle Geography
Everything Science
See for Yourself Science Kits
Social Studies School Service
Steck Vaughn
Pearson Learning Group
The New Book Liquidator
Alpha Omega Publishers
Sonlight Curriculum
Greenleaf Press
Beautiful Feet Books
Chinaberry Books
Educators Publishing Services
Used Curriculum
Vegsource. Don't let the name fool you.
Some of the biggest and best swap boards on the Internet are here.
Software
Lawrence Duck Language Arts.
Headsprout Learn to read.
Online/Correspondence/Distance Learning
Clonlara School
Laurel Springs School
Calvert School
Bob Jones Academy
Bob Jones HomeSat
Brigham Young University
Class.com
Alpha Omega Academy
Christian Liberty Academy
A Beka Home School
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